Programs

AWB’s programs bring us together to share the sky with each other and those around us, without political, geographic, or cultural borders. Through these contacts we learn about each other, and stereotypes and misunderstandings are replaced with reality and empathy.

Global Astronomy Month is the world’s largest annual celebration of astronomy. Whether local events or online, watching or sharing, science or art, there’s something for everyone.

Community

Community

The Astronomers Without Borders global community is at the heart of everything we do. Bringing the community together through astronomy fosters friendship, understanding, and good will. Programs and activities are made possible by the participation of AWB members.

The Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn turned its camera back towards Earth on July 19*, giving Earthlings a new view of our home planet. Dubbed The Day the Earth Smiled, it was a time to focus on Saturn with telescope viewing and other activities.

In collaboration with Cassini's imaging team leader, Carolyn Porco, Astronomers Without Borders gathered photos of Saturn, not as big telescopes see it but as ordinary people do. Pictures captured Saturn as a "star" in the sky along with the observers' surroundings, observing activities, people posing with a photo or model of Saturn, and more, all in celebration of The Day the Earth Smiled.

The images were used to create a mosaic of Saturn as it was expected look in the new Cassini prortrait -- an image composed of Saturn-related photos from around the world celebrating this historic event.

Below is the completed AWB Saturn Mosaic! Click or use the controls below to zoom and pan to see the individual photos that make up this mosaic.

The AWB Saturn Mosaic and zoomable image were created by The World at Night.
Special thanks to Shahob Saghri (TWAN web developer).

Can you find the team that brings you Cassini's images in the AWB Saturn Mosaic? Below is a photo from the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) showing the CICLOPS staff members who are based in Boulder, Colorado, and Imaging Team leader Carolyn Porco. These are the people behind the incredible images from Cassini, including the unprecedented, advance-notice July 19, 2013 image of Earth from Saturn!

Above is the image from Cassini that made the Earth smile. Click for more on this historic image including larger and annotated versions Earth and the Moon appear below and to the right of the planet, just below the rings. The AWB Saturn Mosaic -- composed of submitted photos of Saturn from Earth -- was based on a simulation of what this image was expected to look like.